


Gravity Falls FanFiction

by I_Am_The_Writer



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gravity Falls - Freeform, Gravity Falls High School, Greasy's Diner, Ku Ku Panda's Authentic Chinese Cuisine, Movie Showing: "Dawn And Dusk: Monster Mania" (Twilight Parody), Royal Ragtime Theatre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-21 15:49:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6057259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_The_Writer/pseuds/I_Am_The_Writer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dipper Pines, an inquisitive mind attending Gravity Falls High School, has his hands more than full juggling school, work, and his family, when a mysterious stranger appears that he just can't seem to get out of his head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: Dipper

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note: This takes place in an alternate universe (AU) where Stanford Pines was never retrieved via the portal, and the Weirdmageddon did not occur for reasons that will later be explained in the story. Both Dipper and Mabel are Juniors in High School.
> 
> Another Authors Note: This story will evolve as it goes. Please, try not to guess which ship it is since it's going to be a surprise, although it's probably pretty obvious.  
> This is my first work on the Archives. Ever since Wattpad was taken off my server (don't ask) I've been looking for a place to write, and I believed I've found it. Unfortunately, I had to delete a previous Archives account, and this story was the only one on it. Anyway, this is my first work on Archives, and the first FanFiction I've ever written that wasn't a comic.
> 
> (Speaking of which, if one of you could be so kind as to tell me how to post fan art, I'll post pictures to go with the story as well. Please make the description detailed, like you were talking to an obsolete grandma who didn't know what a computer was.)
> 
> Anyway, enough chitchat. You have clicked on this story, and now you're gonna read it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all you Coders and Smarties out there:  
> This poem should spark some thought.  
> There's a code at the end, much like the show,  
> Very difficult and peril-wrought.
> 
> I'm not much one for codes, myself,  
> In fact, some say I'm dumb,  
> So if you don't want to use the CIPHER keyword  
> You'll still have all the fun.

  
Dipper sighed as he glanced at his watch. Seven minutes to go until tenth period was over, then he could finally leave...six and a half minutes...six and twenty-five seconds...  
Dipper usually didn't count down the seconds in class like this, as he was an eager-beaver who enjoyed learning, but this was his last class of the day, and probably the most boring--Mr. Fischer's class. Dipper couldn't actually remember what the course's official name was, but it was undoubtedly a pseudonym for "unregulated chaos". And whatever it was, Mr. Fischer was outstanding at it. There he sat amidst the flying paper wads and pencils, a king atop his padded, swivel-chair throne, drinking his bottomless cappuccino, the very picture of authority. Or so he considered himself to be.  
Dipper sighed again, allowing his mind to wander for the first time all day. His jam-packed schedule put a lot of stress on him, and constantly keeping up to the suck-up facade he always wore was even worse. Gravity Falls High School was a lot harder than Piedmont Middle School in California, with double the workload and double the stress. Being the perfectionist he was, Dipper never allowed himself a minute of slacking off. No parties, not much social time, barely any extracurriculars besides his passion for music (and the occasional monster hunt). The only free time he had that wasn't filled up by homework, studying, or his part-time job at Greasy's Diner was spent watching PBS specials on the supernatural, or enjoying Friday nights with his twin sister, Mabel.  
Dipper went over his homework schedule once in his head: finish reading Hamlet for English (to read or not to read: that is the question), do the even problems of the worksheet for Calculus class, review his lab for Science, blah, blah, blah....  
The pack-up bell rang, and Dipper started back to consciousness. The unruly mini-mob of 34 jocks, popular kids, gamers, nerds, party girls, and geeks swept out the door, taking Dipper with them into the diverse mix of high schoolers clogging the hallways. Dipper wove, dodged, and occasionally pushed his way through the crowd until he got to his locker. He quickly threw his color-coded binders into his backpack, grabbed his jacket and hat, and made his way to his homeroom. The bell rang once more, and he cleared out of the school and made his way to his bus, number 23. As he said a quick hello to the driver, he clambered up the aisle and took a window seat near the middle of the school bus. He sat, placing his backpack on his knees and his favorite hat (the one with the pine tree on it) on his head. Since reading on the bus gave him motion sickness, he turned his attention out the window. As the bus engine rumbled to life, he noticed a young man, undoubtedly another student, standing on the sidewalk with his phone in his hand.  
He looked like a Junior, like Dipper, although Dipper himself couldn't recall ever seeing him before. He stood outside with his big black backpack in only black jeans and a yellow T-shirt--Dipper knew he would soon freeze in the blustery February weather--holding his phone up near his messy blond hair. His pupils, small and black, seemed to be darting around, searching for something. Suddenly, he made eye contact with Dipper, which surprised the latter. The stranger held up his phone again, and this time snapped a photo in Dipper's direction.  
Dipper sat in shock for a moment, then jumped up and began to look at the strange boy again, but the bus was pulling away and he only got a fleeting glance of the unidentified male, who appeared to be smirking. Dipper thought about jumping out of the bus and interrogating the kid, but he sat down and was silent the entire bus ride home.  
As the bus dropped him off at the dirt road about 300 feet away from the Mystery Shack (the school refused to pay Grunkle Stan's $3.99 Parking & Stopping Fee on a daily basis), Dipper tried to put his mind on other matters besides the strange kid and the photo. As he walked into the Shack, threw his backpack on the kitchen table, and opened the fridge for a snack, Mabel bounced in after him, sporting a fuzzy hot-pink sweater with a blue mustache stitched onto it.  
"Hey, bro-bro. How was school?" She asked, her voice having a slight lisp because of her braces.  
"It was okay," Dipper answered, choosing not to tell her up about the strange boy for reasons even he didn't know. He usually told Mabel everything. "How was your day?" He grabbed a soda and an apple from the fridge.  
"Awesome sauce!" Mabel yelled, throwing her hands up. "You should have seen Grenda today! Some big fat jerk decided to make fun of Candy for her shirt, but Grenda stood up for her and got all up in the bully's face like this! And then she said...and then he said..."  
Dipper smiled and nodded as his twin babbled on and on about her day. He sat down and sipped his soda and munched his apple as she kept talking. He didn't mind her chatter--he knew it was the best way for her to get her feelings out and to calm her down. He let his mind drift off again, and found himself thinking about that mysterious stranger--again! He snapped himself out of it, angry and embarrassed at himself for letting his mind go astray.  
"...and that's pretty much my day. Anyway, I've got buttloads of homework, and I'm guessing you do too, so I'll git," Mabel finished, adjusting her sparkly headband and walking over to the doorway.  
"Remember," she added, "it's Thursday, and I have to play cashier at the Shack, so it's your turn to make dinner."  
Dipper nodded, chewing the last of his apple and washing it down with a swig of soda. He pulled out his books and dove into his homework. It was mind-numbing, but he kept at it so he could finish early, whip up some dinner, and get to Greasy's before the dinner rush.  
As he worked steadily though the Calculus problems, Scientific Method, and the Battle of Gettysburg, Dipper found himself drifting off into a stupor, contemplating the incident with the mysterious boy. Angry with himself, Dipper shouted at himself in his head, like a coach would.  
Go, go! He thought. Only a few more! Only a few more! You're almost there!  
Dipper broke through the last problem like an athlete breaking through finish line tape.  
Yes! I am a champion!  
He shut his books with a triumphant thump as Grunkle Stan walked in, holding a wad of dollar bills in one hand and a satisfied grin on his face.  
"Those idiots will throw money at just about anything," he snickered. "They're so eager to pay, they must have the secret code to the U.S. Mint's Storage Room!"  
"Maybe they do," Dipper said, eyeing his great-uncle suspiciously. "Like someone I know."  
"What?!? Soos has the new code?" Grunkle Stan exclaimed. "How could he keep such a secret from me?!? Do my faithful workers really treat me this way?!? SOOS!!!" He yelled, running out into the gift shop, looking for his handyman.  
Dipper chuckled. He was used to Stan's federal scams by now. Compared to some of the things he'd seen his great-uncle do, finding out the password to a monetary government building was tame.  
Dipper gathered his backpack and took them up to his room before he could get distracted again. He dumped them by his bed and looked across the room to see the sleeping form of Mabel with a Trigonometry book over her face. He smiled and decided to let her sleep. Customers usually didn't come up to the Shack during the dinner rush, anyhow, and Mabel needed rest. He headed back down to the kitchen to cook dinner.  
Several summers back, Stan had taught them how to cook, or, as he put it, "Cuisine 101".  
"You've got to be able to cook in some way," Stan had reasoned, "or you'll be eating raw meat in the cold when you move out."  
So, the Twins had learned how to cook. Omelets, bacon, waffles, and pancakes were all part of a three-course breakfast-in-bed (for Stan, of course) that they had needed to pass "Breakfast 101". They learned how to make grilled cheese sandwiches and cold-cuts sandwiches for "Lunch 101", and they learned the three S's for "Dinner 101"---Salads, Soups, and Slightly Overcooked Entrées. Dipper picked the easiest recipe he remembered--soup. That recipe was, "Throw some veggies and some meat and some potatoes into a pot with water, boil it and if the water doesn't catch fire you're good to go."  
That is exactly what Dipper did. As the soup simmered on the back burner, Dipper sliced some bread and butter and set the table for Mabel and Stan. He grabbed a thermos from the cupboard and glanced at the clock. He had a little time, time enough to walk to Greasy's Diner, so he filled the thermos with soup, grabbed some bread, and munched on his way to work. Before he left, he grabbed his trusty knapsack that contained some water, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, and his journal that had saved his life countless times. He also brought a black light to reveal the secret messages written in it. You never know, especially in the town of Gravity Falls.  
Dipper arrived at Greasy's Diner right on time, and Lazy Susan had needed his help for the dinner rush. He tried his very hardest to focus on his customers' orders and tried to get every blueberry in every pancake right. He rushed around, wondering why on Earth these people wanted to eat breakfast food at dinner time. He shivered; it just didn't seem right. Breakfast food for breakfast, dinner food for dinner. Dipper had odd quirks like these. Mabel, on the other hand, would eat anything at anytime: breakfast for lunch, lunch for dinner, leftover pizza for breakfast, ice cream for every meal, sushi for a snack, three shots of Mabel Juice in the morning, it didn't matter what, Mabel was an eating machine.  
Dipper allowed himself a small, rather unprofessional, giggle. His sister could always make him laugh in delight at her jokes--or groan in resentment. Thankfully, though, he held his twin sister dear above anything else in the world. Yes, they fought a lot, but underneath they had a deep bond that could never be broken.  
Dipper snapped himself back to reality and cleared the last of the plates from a booth, took them into the kitchen, and set them in the sink. He pulled on some yellow rubber gloves and began to scrub with renewed vigor when Lazy Susan's voice broke his concentration.  
"Hold it, Dipper, there's still one customer waiting for service."  
Embarrassed, Dipper set down his sponge and soap, rinsed the lather from his arms, snatched up his notepad, and raced back out to the front of the diner. He took the order of the last tourist--this time he made sure it was the last--packed up his things, and left the diner with a friendly wave to Lazy Susan.  
As Dipper walked through the cold February night air, he watched his breath turn to white clouds. He gazed at the lazy, fading glow of the streetlights behind him and retrieved his flashlight from his backpack. Holding the torch, he lit his own way through the woods and back towards the Mystery Shack. Again, he let his ever-active mind wander, and once more his thoughts led to the mysterious stranger outside of his school.  
The Pines boy stopped short, suddenly angry. Who was this impudent man, and how dare he invade his thoughts? How dare he? No matter how hard he tried, his mind was locked on the inexplicable incident of the day. Dipper fumed. He needed to get this impertinent rascal out of his head and settle this episode once and for all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WBM PMUJH DT IE? HDNNEQ HMESL'T GLMW WBCT BE'S AETTDLA DLTM...


	2. Chapter Two: Mabel

Mabel woke the next morning to the very darkest of her fears--math problems in her face. Angry, red, scribbly math problems. Evil, cackling problems that you needed a calculator, a protractor and three brains to solve. She screamed loudly.  
"DON'T MAKE ME SOLVE YOU!"  
A snort and a muffled noise came from outside the dark pages of the book. Perhaps there was still someone who might help her.  
"HELLO?ANYBODY THERE? PLEASE HELP BEFORE THESE MATH PROBLEMS MAKE ME SOLVE THEM! SOMEBODY HELP!  
Mabel decided, after a minute, that the somebody who had already escaped the Dark Realm Of Trigonometry was not going to help her yet. She opened her mouth and kept screaming.  
Finally, Mabel saw a little more light as she was pulled from the Realm. Or rather, her Trig book was pulled off her face.  
I guess it wasn't a dream after all, she thought, blinking.  
"Mabel!" Dipper yelled, holding the Book of Evil in his hands. "This isn't a joke! It's five-thirty in the morning!"  
Mabel laughed. "So? I was your makeshift alarm clock today. Also, you saved me from the horrible Dark Realm of Trigonometry."  
"That doesn't matter!" He whisper-yelled, lowering his tone so the Stan wouldn't get woken up too early. "The point is, you woke us all up on a Friday morning--"  
"FRIDAY?!?" Mabel jumped up from her bed excitedly. "IT'S FRIDAY?!"  
Yesss!Yes! It's Friday! FINALLLLYYYYY!!!!! She thought.  
Mabel started to do her favorite It's-Finally-Friday dance. As she jammed out to the tune in her head, she began to chant and stomp on the floorboards:  
"IT'S FRI-DAY! IT'S FRI-DAY!" stomp, stomp! "IT'S FRI-DAY! IT'S FRI-DAY!"Stomp, stomp, stomp!  
Mabel continued until Dipper grabbed her shoulder and put one hand over her mouth. She heard him groan as he dragged her over to her bed. Finally, Mabel licked his hand so he would take it off of her mouth.  
"Ew! Mabel! Aren't you a little too old for that?" Dipper asked, wiping his hand on his pajama shorts.  
"Nope! I never get too old for fun!" She grinned.  
Dipper sighed in defeat. "Either go back to sleep or try and keep quiet, okay? I'm going back to sleep..." He crawled back under his sheets, turned on his side, and dozed off again.  
Immediately, a dozen pranks ran through her head. What should she do? Cut his hair? Put hair dye in his shampoo bottle? Do his nails? Put her special eyeliner, mascara, and fake eyelashes on him? Doodle on his face? Put his hand in a jar of warm water? There were so many possibilities, but Mabel suddenly remembered how embarrassed Dipper was the last time she pulled a prank on him in his sleep. She had put old lady's perfume on him, and he hadn't noticed, thinking it was Mabel who smelled like dead flowers. Needless to say, he had a very unpleasant day at school.  
Mabel signed in defeat as she flopped back down on her own bed. Being the morning person she was, she could never really enjoy her sleep after being woken up. She got up, fluffed her pillow, flopped back on her bed, shut her eyes, rolled over, sat up, laid down, pulled the blankets over her head, peeked out, and sighed again. She just couldn't get back to sleep. Finally, she kicked the heavy covers off of herself and opened the clothes closet, ignoring Dipper's groans at the squeak of the creaky wooden door. She carefully selected the day's sweater--rows upon rows of red hearts on an orange background. She grabbed cutoff shorts and tall, thick knee socks (as much as Mabel could stand the cold, Dipper had said the February forecast was going to be a frigid seventeen degrees.) Then she gathered her favorite green high tops and tiptoed out the bedroom door and into the bathroom, turning on the shower. The girl shed her pajamas and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water pelt into and pour across into her skin. Mabel let a grin seep across her face, as she loved a hot shower in the morning. She adjusted the shower head and stepped directly under it, so the water poured down right on top of her head. She titled her face back and felt the water flowing across her eyes and nose and mouth for an instant, then moved and gasped for air. It was wonderful, a small bit of fiery heaven that she enjoyed every morning, and nobody would ever know.  
Fifteen minutes later, Mabel stepped out of the shower, dripping water onto the ugly, green, shaggy bathroom carpet. She wrapped two towels--one around her body and one around her long, thick, knotted hair. After drying off, she quickly dressed and brushed through her (evil and tangled) hair. Then she bounded down the steps, attaching a red-and-white polka dotted bow to her hair as she ran into the kitchen.  
As Mabel whipped up some her morning dose of Mabel juice (top-secret recipe) and some nearly-burned-chocolate-syrup-covered toast for her breakfast, she thought she heard Dipper turn the shower on. But, as it turned out, it was Grunkle Stan, with his gruff voice yelling.  
"MABEL! YOU USED UP ALL THE HOT WATER!"  
That was her cue to turn on the coffee maker and quickly whip up some bacon, scrambled eggs, and bagels for her hungry great-uncle.  
"Sorry, Grunkle Stan! I was so busy thinking about what to make you for breakfast I completely lost track of time!"  
Mabel heard a pause, then a quicker pace thundered down the floorboards as her ravenous uncle clomped down the stairs, a grin on his face and visions of sugar plums undoubtedly dancing in his head.  
"All is forgiven, Mabel! That's my girl! What did you cook this morning, my favorite niece?"  
"Bacon, eggs, and bagels! And your coffee's almost ready," Mabel grinned, stirring up the eggs so they wouldn't burn. Surprisingly, she was the only one out of the three who liked her food burnt to a crisp. The other two wouldn't touch her black-burnt, ooey-gooey, piping-hot specialties, especially when it came to s'mores.  
A few minutes later, Dipper came down the stairs, rubbing the sleep form his eyes. He yawned a big yawn and stretched, then slumped at the table across from Grunkle Stan.  
"Good morning, bro-bro!" Mabel addressed her brother.  
"Hey, Dipper," Grunkle Stan said flatly.  
"Gmmmorg," Dipper replied drowsily.  
Mabel poured the coffee and set it, steaming, in front of Grunkle Stan. She fished the sizzling, crackling bacon off of the pan and set it to cool on some paper towels nearby, then grabbed the bagels from the toaster and spread them just how she knew her great-uncle and brother liked them. Cream cheese and jelly on a blueberry bagel for Grunkle Stan, butter on whole wheat bagel for Dipper. She dished out two big helpings of eggs on each plate, slipped on the bagels, and added a couple pieces of bacon.  
"Breakfast is served!" She announced.  
"Delicious! Good job, Mabel!" declared Stan, digging in with wolflike hunger. Dipper sat up straighter (the smell of coffee always made him hyper) and began to eat as well. Mabel grinned, feeling triumphant. She loved it when her family ate the food she cooked. Then, there came a knock on the kitchen door. Mabel curiously opened it, without even looking out to see if it was the U.S. Government first (breaking one of Stan's most prominent rules), and there, on the doorstep, stood a hungry-looking (but good-natured) Soos.  
"Hey, dudes," he greeted them, waving. "I was ready to come to work and then I smelled food. I have come to eat the food. It calls me." He pulled his face into a noble superhero expression, although it was hard to take him seriously since he was drooling over the delicious aromas. Mabel threw her head back and laughed.  
"Just in time, Dr. Soos! I need you to finish up the leftovers. I'll be right back, gentlemen," and with a flourish, she left to go freshen up for school.  
When she emerged from the powder room, Dipper was fully awake and fully dressed. He even had his shirt on the right way for once. Stan and Soos were staring it out over the last piece of bacon, until Dipper sauntered by, pulling on his coat and backpack, snatched the bacon off the plate, and ran out the door, followed by disappointed and angry shouts coming from the men inside. Mabel grinned and raced after her brother out the door to the school bus.  
The twins boarded the big yellow bus, Mabel skipping up the aisle into a window seat to wait for her best girl friends Candy and Grenda, and Dipper sitting in a seat across the aisle from her. By the next stop, Mabel had nearly exploded with anticipation, and she jumped up and shouted, pointing at her friends,  
"Girls! What day is it?"  
"FRIIIIIDAYYY!!!!" The two yelled back, throwing their arms up in celebration. Then the ecstatic trio launched into the It's-Finally-Friday Dance. Mabel and Candy took turns attempting to harmonize their sopranos with Grenda's loud bass voice while the three stomped on the floor of the bus, causing it to shake.  
"IT'S FRI-DAY! IT'S FRI-DAY!" stomp, stomp! "IT'S FRI-DAY! IT'S FRI-DAY!" stomp, stomp, STOMP!  
The bus driver gave the three a tired look, so Mabel managed to seat the three of them in one small bus seat, while Grenda took their backpacks and threw them in the seat behind them, crushing the unfortunate kid who happened to be sitting there. Grenda apologized and took the boy to a seat farther back to recover from the shock, while Candy bid Dipper a good morning. Dipper nodded a mute hello in return, then turned to the window, seemingly in a trance. Mabel grew a bit suspicious of her brother's absentminded behavior, and signaled to the girls that she needed a minute to speak with him. The two shifted over with some difficulty, but in the end Mabel slid into the empty seat next to her brother.  
"Hey, Dipper?"  
Dipper started out of his trance, and Mabel was puzzled. Her brother never acted like this, except when something big was on his mind. And then, he always told her what it was. What could it be?  
"Yeah, Mabel? Sorry about that, I was being stupid, drifting off like that..."  
"Dipper!"  
"What! Oh, sorry, Mabel."  
"Dipper," Mabel said. "You've been thinking about something and you haven't yet told me what it is. What is it? I know it's something really important if it has you all hypnotized like this--"  
Mabel stopped to do a funny impression of Dipper in a trance, hoping to cheer him up. Dipper didn't laugh.  
"What's got you all tied up like this?"  
"It's nothing, Mabel."  
"I know what'll cheer you up!" Mabel snapped her fingers triumphantly, "Tonight's Friday night, you know!"  
"How could I ever forget?" Dipper said half-sarcastically, smiling at his twin's energy.  
"Well, I'll make sure that we'll have lots of fun!" Mabel cheered, turning to her friends. "Right, girls?" Candy and Grenda cheered back. Mabel grinned and looked back a Dipper, but he has turned back to the window, lost in his own thoughts again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SBMMTDLA STCQ, SBMMTDLA STCQ...


	3. Chapter Three: Dipper

  
All that day at school, Dipper kept his eyes wide open for any sign of the mysterious photographer from the day before. He knew he needed to find the kid and question him before the school day was over; it was Friday and he didn't even know his name. But all throughout English, Calc, and Science, not a trace of the blonde was evident. The same thing happened in Technology & Robotics and P.E. The Pines boy was frustrated and ready to give up when he realized that he had lunch next--the perfect opportunity to find his mystery man! If the guy wasn't at lunch, where else would he be?  
In the lunchroom, Dipper got in the lunch line and fished out a couple bucks to pay for his apple, milk, tater tots, and chicken enchilada--his favorite cafeteria foods. He grabbed a fork, took his tray, and took an empty seat at a table in the lunchroom. He chose a seat on the part of the lunchroom that was on a raised platform--five extra tables looking down on the rest of the lunchroom, the perfect spot to spy from. Dipper sat and scanned the lunchroom as he thoughtfully munched on his enchilada. It wasn't nearly spicy enough for his taste, but that was to be expected of cafeteria food. Served him right for not making himself a BLT in the morning when he still could.  
Dipper got a pencil and paper from his binder and tried to make list of all the possible tables the blond kid was likely sit at. The nerd groups were definitely out--but otherwise, he couldn't really seem to place the kid by just the glimpse he'd gotten the day before. He looked much too skinny and classy for a jock type, but he didn't seem like one to hang out with gamers, either. Dipper became angrier and angrier at himself, partially for being clueless about the kid's whereabouts and partially to admitting to trying to define someone without knowing them. But, he reasoned with himself, it was the logical thing to do. He leaned his chin on his hand in deeper thought.  
The Pines boy started as he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, and whipped his head around to see what could have caused it. It had seemed like the flash from a camera, but Dipper didn't see anyone with a camera pointed at him. Dipper caught a glimpse of his own curious, but slightly crazed, look in the reflection of a metal cafeteria wall. He smoothed down his wild hair and tried to refocus his attention. But something was nagging at him, and he couldn't quite figure out what was going on.  
Suddenly, Dipper saw the flash again, coming from the same side of the cafeteria as before. Dipper looked up this time, spotting the photographer.  
It was the blonde from before.  
"HEY!" Dipper yelled, jumping up from his seat and running towards the mystery boy. The kid grinned an impish grin, pocketing his phone, grabbing a couple books and binders from the table near him, and dashing off into the crowd in the hallway. Dipper ran after him, grabbing his own binders and leaving his enchilada. The crowd soon engulfed the two boys, and Dipper could barely keep the kid in his sight. Fortunately, the kid was pretty tall and stood out form the rest of the crowd. Dipper wasn't sure if he was seeing right, but it was almost as if people were getting out of the way once they saw the blonde running their way. Dipper poured on more speed, completely focused on catching this elusive invader. He was so focused on chasing the boy that he didn't notice another student, this one clothed in gray, walking in his path, reading a book, until the two slammed into each other as an unexpected greeting.  
Needless to say....BAM!  
Dipper's and the new kid's books spilled onto the floor in a motley mess. The kid's head crashed into Dipper's shoulder and his glasses poked into Dipper's eye. Both fell back on the floor, cringing in pain. Some kids in the crowd stopped to watch. The other boy stood up quickly, brushed himself off, and offered a hand to Dipper to help him up.  
"Oh! I'm sorry!" The kid exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment. He bent over to pick up the scattered books, and handed Dipper his own. Dipper suddenly felt self-conscious now that he was out of his momentum of chasing his mystery man. The crowd around them dispersed.  
"Oh, um...it's okay. I should have looked where I was going," Dipper said lamely, taking the books back.  
"No, no, it's perfectly all right," the boy adjusted his large, round, gray coke-bottle glasses. For the first time, Dipper noticed how he looked. He wore a gray shirt and jeans with a gray sweatshirt tied around his waist. He had large buck teeth that added to the nerdy vibe his glasses set off, and gray-brown, tousled hair.  
"Oh, well then... I guess we're good?" Dipper squeaked awkwardly. He started to shuffle backwards, burning in embarrassment while wishing for Mabel's adept social skills, but the geeky-looking student put a hand on his shoulder. Dipper flinched at the sudden contact.  
"Sorry," the kid took his hand off of Dipper's shoulder. "Is it okay if I walk with you? It's kind of dangerous to be walking by yourself in this crowd." He smiled.  
"All right," Dipper replied cautiously, and began walking towards the band room with the kid striding along beside him. "My name's Dipper. Dipper Pines. What's yours?"  
The boy looked a little sheepish. "Promise not to laugh?"  
Dipper chuckled, "Whatever your name is, it's probably not a match for a nickname like Dipper."  
The kid laughed nervously. "Well...kind of. My real name is Kryptos, but people call me Kris."  
"Oh. Okay. Hi, Kris." Dipper extended his hand and Kris shook it in turn. "I'm a Junior. How about you?"  
"I am as well," grinned the geek.  
Dipper stopped short. "Oh! My band class is here. I have to go."  
"Oh, okay," Kris smiled. "I'll see you later, then."  
"Sure," Dipper agreed. Then he opened the band room's door, turned back, and waved to his new friend Kris. Then he retrieved his sousaphone from the back of the band room and oiled the valves.

After forty-nine minutes of honking his heart out on the sousaphone, Dipper was winded, to say in the least. He packed up his massive instrument and shoved the case in the back of the room. Exhausted and carrying a searing headache, he was too tired to think and blindly stumbled towards Mr. Fischer's class, hoping to catch a nap during the unregulated free-for-all. He slumped behind a desk into the back corner of the room, hoping not to attract too much attention, as he lay his head on his desk and closed his eyes, feeling the cold desktop on his overheated skin.  
"Hey there! Tired much?" asked an unfamiliar voice. Dipper sat up quickly and looked at the owner of the voice. It was the mysterious photographer again! There he stood, the trickster behind it all, the same messy blonde hair and satisfied smirk on the impudent face that had haunted Dipper's thoughts. The Pines boy sat in angered shock for a moment, then spoke.  
"Very tired, thanks to you!" Dipper snapped. The other boy lost his confident grin for a second, only to have it grow twice as wide, and took a dramatized step back.  
"Why, Pine Tree!" The impish blonde pressed a hand to his heart mockingly. "Your words have wounded me deeply!"  
Dipper scowled at the ridiculous nickname. "I don't know who you are--" he began.  
"Oh, yes, we simply must have time for introductions!" exclaimed the dapper high schooler. He extended a hand towards Dipper.  
"Call me Cipher. Bill Cipher," he smiled dashingly. Dipper, taken aback by the attitude of the mischief maker, frowned even more deeply, but took his hand and shook it firmly. The other's hands were ice cold, and Dipper started. This..."Bill Cipher" character didn't seem to notice.  
"I'm Dipper Pines," began the brunette.  
"Yes, yes, I know all that," Cipher waved his hand in front of his face like a bee was attacking it. "I know all that," he said again.  
"See, that's just my point!" Dipper fumed. "You--you've been stalking me! I saw you take pictures of me! Which happens to be illegal since you didn't have my permission!"  
"Oh, silly Pine Tree," Bill laughed. "You're so charming. I am simply infatuated with you!"  
In spite of himself, Dipper blushed at the flattery. Bill certainly caught the red rising in the boy's cheeks, and pulled up a chair next to Dipper's desk, sitting on it backwards to face the Pines boy. Bill folded his arms on the back of the chair and rested his chin on his forearms, locking his black eyes on Dipper's reddening face.  
"Pine Tree, now that we've had introductions, may I interest you in an offer?" Bill grinned, his eyes shining brightly amidst the chaos of the classroom.  
"What...kind of offer?" Dipper asked awkwardly. He didn't know what to think; the creep was very straightforward. It was as if he never had any sort of experience talking to people. Dipper wasn't exactly a social butterfly himself, but this guy was a whole new level of weird. Socially speaking, was as if he was born yesterday.  
"What kind of offer?" Dipper repeated.  
"A...rather informal one," Bill continued to smile eerily, showing his shining white teeth. Dipper began to feel self-conscious about his own yellowing teeth, and squirmed uncomfortably. Mabel always told him he needed to brush more.  
"What do you mean?" Dipper asked the boy.  
"I mean I'd like to know if I could interest you in taking a little outing after school today together." Bill said simply. "In the last forty-eight hours with which I have followed you and stalked your earthly persona, I find that I have an unusual degree of attraction to you, and I'd like to know if you would like to join me after school to...go somewhere."  
Dipper was horrified. The high schooler had said the words so casually, as if stalking someone was a normal thing (which Dipper assumed was probably a normal thing for him). He'd never been asked out before, but he was sure that if he had this would be the worst kind of speech the world had ever seen. Only a complete idiot, he thought, would agree to go off on a date with this kind of person--a stalker so socially inept that he resorted to these kind of actions! It was risky behavior and desperate insanity to agree to this, and no other words for it.  
"Um...sure...okay?"  
The Pines boy started and looked behind him to see who could have possibly said that to this Cipher creep. With disgusted shock, Dipper realized that it was he who had said those last words--his very own death sentence, going out after school with his very own personal stalker.  
"Cool. I'll meet you at the gym exit with my car. You can decide where you want to go, so I'll give you a little time to think on it." The dapper young man winked at Dipper and left him with a flourish.  
Dipper sat dumbfounded. He couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to go out on a date with a man he barely knew--his own stalker. How could such a witty, charming guy be such a creep? Dipper was infuriated with himself, but then a thought came to mind:  
Maybe he doesn't know any better.  
Dipper knew what it was like to be socially awkward. He knew what it was like to have a bit of an obsession over someone, to admire them from afar, but never having to guts to come directly up to them and ask them out. His crushes had all died horrible, sad deaths, and one with a friendly rejection that had still broken his heart. He knew what it was like to be...weird.  
Maybe I should give him a chance, Dipper thought. The logical side of his brain fought with his emotions of empathy. Finally, they compromised. I'll give him one chance. One chance only.  
Dipper pulled out his phone and texted Mabel.  
**Dipper: Hey, Mabel?**  
Mabel responded almost immediately.  
**Mabel: Yeah, Dipdop?**

**Dipper: Dipdop yourself. Where are you now?**

**Mabel: Science. It's boooooooorring :(**

**Dipper: Whatever. Just don't get caught.**

**Mabel: No worries. I'm the master of stealth ;p Anyway, what's up with you?**

**Dipper:Well we may need to call off this Friday night.**

**Mabel: Nooooooo!!! Candy and Grenda were going to bring new music for the karaoke machine!**

**Dipper: Well, I kind of have something important going on...**

**Mabel: What could be more important than spending quality time with your sister?**

**Dipper: I was invited to go out someplace after school.**

**Mabel: WHAT?!? COULD IT BE?!? DO YOU HAVE A...DATE?!?!**

**Dipper: I wouldn't call it that...**

**Mabel: I WOULD!! FINALLY MY LITTLE BROTHER HAS A DATE!!!**

**Dipper: you're only older by five minutes, and it's not exactly a date.**

**Mabel: what is it then?**

**Dipper: Okay, I guess it is kind of a date. If you can call it that.**

**Mabel: how'd you get someone to ask you out? Or did you ask them out?**

**Dipper: well, yesterday I saw some creep take a photo of me on the bus. Then I chased him from the cafeteria today, and then he walked up to me in class and asked me out, and for some reason I said yes. He said he's been stalking me.**

**Mabel: that's quite a story. But you haven't told me the most important thing yet!**

**Dipper: What?**

**Mabel: who is this guy?!?**

**Dipper: His name's Bill Cipher. He's very...blonde. And creepy. But kind of charming.**

**Mabel: Okay! Sounds cool. I'll have the girls over after school instead of you, then!**

**Dipper: I'll be home in time for dinner, don't worry.**

**Mabel: You just have fun and keep safe, okay, bro bro?**

**Dipper: Okay. But I don't know what to do or what to say! It's so awkward. Any suggestions?**

**Mabel: Sorry, Dippin' sauce, I gtg, teacher coming.**

**Dipper: Okay. I'll see you later.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DS GQYNTMS C TQUE RQDELH? WBCT HMES IDJJ WCLT?


	4. Chapter Four: Dipper

Dipper put away his phone, realizing he was blushing redder than an overheated cherry. He asked to be excused to the bathroom, where he splashed his face with some cold water to cool himself off and get his thinking straight again (and to stop the blushing). It didn't work. Dipper headed back in the Classroom of Chaos, where he saw Bill talking with a group of popular kids, who seemed to be gravitating around him. Huh. He couldn't decide if Bill was playing a mind trick or if he was actually popular. After asking a rejected-looking girl in the corner if he was a popular kid, Dipper found out that he was actually a regular with the cool kids. Both confused and intrigued, he struck up a conversation with the girl, finding that her name was Lavender.  
"So he's really popular?" Dipper asked again.  
"Yeah," Lavender sniffed. "I used to have such a crush on him, to tell you the truth, but he's really, really popular so I could never ask him out."  
"I don't even know why those kids hang around him," Dipper said, leaning his chin on his hand. "Bill seems a little...I don't know, creepy."  
"Yeah, he's really shady," admitted Lavender. "I usually don't listen to rumors, but rumors say that he's got a secret friend group--maybe even a gang--outside of school. Some of them even go to this school, but nobody knows who. That rumor's been here since Cipher moved into the middle school."  
"Middle school?" Dipper inquired. "I've been in this district since the seventh grade, and I've never seen him before."  
"Really? Bill Cipher's been in this school district since...preschool. I think he was born here too. Almost everybody's had a run-in with him. If you listen to all the stories you'll get a headache."  
"Huh. That's weird, I only saw him yesterday. I didn't even know he was in this class," Dipper thought aloud.  
"He skips a lot," explained Lavender. "That's another reason why the rumor hasn't died all these years--he's very...what's the word...?"  
"Elusive?" Dipper suggested.  
"Yeah," Lavender smiled. "Great vocabulary. I'm a bit of a grammar and Language Arts nerd, to tell you think truth. You're all right, man. What's your name again?"  
"I'm Dipper Pines," Dipper smiled back, shaking her hand in greeting.  
"Nice to meet you, Dipper. I'm Lavender Stevenson." Lavender said, shaking his hand in return. "That's a nice name...Dipper."  
"Oh, it's just a nickname. I have a birthmark that looks like the Big Dipper, so it kind of stuck." Dipper changed the subject quickly, not wanting to talk more about himself. "But your name is so nice. I've never met anyone named Lavender before."  
"Yep," Lavender grinned. "My parents are really quite a loving couple--you'd think they were fifteen old, the way they flirt with each other! Anyway, they were so happy when I was born, they thanked the day that they met. And on that day, my dad was wearing pink and my mom was wearing blue, so they named me Lavender. And since that day, they only wear those colors. They're a little weird, but I love them a lot."  
"Wow," Dipper said. "That's quite a story."  
"Yeah," Lavender giggled. "My family's really weird, but we all love each other a lot. What is your family like?"  
"Well," Dipper scratched his head, not knowing where to begin, "Me and my twin sister Mabel live with our Great-Uncle--we call him "Grunkle Stan". We live in his tourist trap in the woods, called the Mystery Shack."  
"Cool! Tourist traps aren't really my thing, though, after what happened when our family loved Lil' Gideon, but then we kind of grew out of the whole "Psychic" thing, especially after he was pronounced a fraud. But you're a twin? That's so cool!"  
"Yeah, I think you would really like my sister and her friends," he nodded, glancing at Lavender's unusual purple sweater. They're a little...crazy, but they're lovable."  
"You really think so?" Lavender's eyes grew wide. "I don't have a lot of friends, so I'm always on the lookout."  
"Sure!" Dipper said. "How's about you come over to the Mystery Shack to meet Mabel? I'm busy after school today, but I can text Mabel telling her you're coming over. She and Grunkle Stan are very welcoming."  
"Really? AWESOME!" Cheered the girl. Dipper pulled out his phone and texted Mabel.  
 **Dipper: Mabel, I'm still busy after school today, but I made a new friend called Lavender, and she seems really psyched to meet you. I invited her to go over to the Shack and meet you and Candy and Grenda tonight.**  
Mabel, whose motto was, "The more, the merrier", responded like lightning.  
 **Mabel: Bro-bro, tell her to ask her parents if she can stay overnight. The girls and I are hosting karaoke, pizza, and FUN FUN FUN!!!**  
Dipper showed Lavender the text, who nearly squealed with joy. She texted her parents about the sleepover, and they agreed to let her stay overnight, as long as she would check in with them every half hour. Lavender agreed, and Dipper told her a list of things to bring: sleeping bag, earplugs (if you wanted to sleep), toiletries, extra clothes, and PJ's.  
"Dipper, I've been to a sleepover before," laughed Lavender.  
"Never one like Mabel's," Dipper assured her. "Hers are...well, the girls call it legendary but I usually use the words 'rambunctious', 'boisterous', and 'hazardous to one's health'."  
Lavender laughed and pumped her fist.  
"All right! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Dipper. It's very nice of you!"  
"It's nothing," Dipper smiled back. "Mabel only has Candy and Grenda, and I thought she could use some more friends, and if anyone fits the bill it's you! Plus, you gave me all that info about Cipher over there," he jerked his thumb towards the teenager socializing with the "cool" kids. "Besides, what else could I look for in a friend? Smart, good sense of humor...you're just like Mabel, except a little less crazy!"  
Lavender laughed again. "Thanks so much, Dipper! I'll see you soon, if you show up at the party..."  
"I probably will, but I usually sleep outside when Mabel has friends over," Dipper explained. "I have a wolf friend who I need to catch up with, anyhow."  
Lavender cracked up. "Oh, Dipper, you're so funny! Well, I'll see you later, then!" Lavender gathered up her books and waved goodbye just as the pack-up bell rang, then walked out into the crowd with Mr. Fischer and the other students. Dipper was in shock of how fast the time had passed, and the fact that he had made a friend--the second in one day!  
"Hey, you all right, Pine Tree?"  
Dipper jumped three feet into the air. It was his personal stalker, Bill Cipher, behind him in the empty classroom.  
"Dear Lord, Cipher! That's freaking scary!" He yelled. The blonde grinned back at him.  
"Sorry, kid, I'm just being me. But anyway...who was that?" The cheeky high schooler leaned his arm on Dipper's shoulder, which constantly reminded the brunette that Bill was about three inches taller than him.  
"Nobody. Just a friend I made." Dipper growled, gritting his teeth. He hated the blonde getting into his business like that.  
"A...friend, I see," Bill glared at him. "For shame, Pine Tree, how could you? We haven't even had our date yet and already you're cheating on your boyfriend?"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dipper said, brushing the boy's arm off his shoulder. "Cheating? Boyfriend? Cipher, I've known you for less than an hour and I already hate you! I'm not your boyfriend!"  
Bill got an angry look in his eyes. Dipper couldn't tell if it was a trick of the light or what, but they seemed to be glowing red from the depths of the sockets right to the irises. Dipper wasn't even sure that was possible, with his knowledge from reading a book on the functions of the human eye. He was a bit intimidated as Bill's voice suddenly became deeper and more metallic.  
"Pine Tree..." the boy growled. "Don't. Test. Me. You. Are. My. Boyfriend."  
"No way! I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull, but something's off about you and I don't like it! I refuse to go out with you!" Dipper said indignantly, pulling out Journal #3 to see what kind of monster this Cipher character really was. As he flipped through the pages, he glanced up to see Cipher's eyes turn from angry to shocked in an instant.  
"Let me see that," Bill made a grab for the journal, but Dipper pulled it close to his chest, frowning.  
"See here," Bill began, but Dipper ignored him, still flipping through the pages. He would have pulled out the black light, but he didn't want this weirdo to know all the key to the journal's secrets right away--at least, not until he figured out who he really was.  
Nothing. He couldn't be a zombie, gnome, or unicorn. But then Dipper saw a page with the words "Bill Cipher" on them. Dipper gasped as he read on.  
"DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS!!!" "TRUST NO ONE!!" INCREDIBLY POWERFUL!!" IF HE IS LET INTO THSI DIMENSION ALL IS LOST!!!"  
Surprisingly, though, all the drawings were of a triangle-shaped thing that looked like the Eye of Providence form the back of a dollar bill. Dipper frowned, staring at the drawing, when the Cipher boy ripped the journal from his hands.  
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!!" Dipper screamed, lunging towards the book.  
"No."  
"Then I'll make you!" Dipper yelled. "I don't know who you are or what you are, but you're nothing good! The Author said so!"  
Bill Cipher laughed. Laughed! The impudence! Dipper thought.  
"Listen, kid, I know secrets that would make you disintegrate if you heard them," Cipher held the journal behind his back with one hand as he pinched Dipper's chin in his hand. "I know more things than that one you call the Author...and, in a way, you're correct. I'm dangerous. You have no idea what I am...or was. But I'm going to offer you a deal."  
"Another deal?" Dipper tried to sound threatening, but it came out as a muffled squeak.  
"Yes," Bill grinned. "Go out on this date with me, and I'll tell you who the Author really is. I'll tell you the history I have with him. And I'll give you your precious journal back. Just one tiny little date, Pine Tree."  
The deal sounded too good to be true, but he had already booked the night according to Mabel, and the creep had his journal. He couldn't afford to lose it to whatever this Bill Cipher thing was...and to know who the Author was! He couldn't say no.  
"Fine," grunted Dipper. "Now let me go."  
Bill let go of his chin just as the final bell rang, and Dipper looked at the clock, realizing that he was going to miss his bus.  
"Sh¡t!" He exclaimed. He'd picked up the bad habit of swearing from Grunkle Stan, who had given up "Hot Belgian Waffles" once the Twins had turned fourteen. "I'm gonna miss my bus!"  
"Good thing you've already got a ride," Bill smiled craftily. "Go pack up your stuff and meet me outside the gym exit." Then the high schooler turned and left the room with a flourish to get his own things.  
Dipper angrily picked up his books and stormed off to his locker, throwing his books into his backpack in a sort of daze. He ran to the gym exit, bursting through the double doors onto the dead and dying grass outside the gym. The February wind was like a knife on his cheek, and he opened his backpack and pulled on his extra hoodie. Dipper saw some of his teachers leaving in their own cars. Dipper gave some of them a wave if they saw him.  
Dipper blew on his chapped and reddening hands as he waited for the Cipher idiot to come around and pick him up. He still couldn't believe what had happened that day--he'd made two new friends and landed a date with a psychopath. What was he getting himself into? Where was the cautious, logical Dipper Pines he knew so well?  
Then, a dark green BMW pulled up near the gym exit. Cipher poked his blonde head out.  
"Hey, Pine Tree!" he called. "Come on! I haven't got all day!"  
"Neither have I," muttered a freezing Dipper as he walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger seat, and got inside the car. A blast of hot air wrapped around him like a huge, warm hug that made him sigh a little and smile in spite of himself. He placed his backpack on his knees, but Bill grabbed it and threw it in the back. Dipper winced. His homework was in there. The brunette shifted uncomfortably on his seat as Bill drove out of the school parking lot.  
"So..." Dipper cleared his throat. "Where are we going? And when do I get my journal back?"  
"Not so fast, Pine Tree," Bill wagged his finger reprovingly at Dipper. "First we have the date. I'm picking where we go this time, and I vote dinner and a movie...it is what people do on dates, right?" he asked innocently, turning his eyes to Dipper.  
"Er...I guess," Dipper replied uncomfortably. He'd never been on a date before, not with a girl or a guy--then Dipper realized that he'd never stopped to think about his preferences in dating before. Was he...attracted to this blonde creep? He knew that he had liked Wendy and some other girls before...so what was he? Gay? Bisexual? Dipper was overwhelmed but he chaotic events of the day, his conflicting emotions, and by this guy's constantly changing personality. He had to ask one question.  
"Um...Bill?"  
"Yeah?" the blonde looked over at him again.  
"Can I ask you a question? It's kind of personal, but I just wanted to know..."  
"What is it?"  
"Are you BPD or bipolar or something? Chase you seem sort of...torn in two directions. One minute you're acting all dapper and savvy and the next you're acting like...a creep who doesn't know the slightest thing about life on Earth."  
"Um, well the thing is I do know about life on Earth, cause I'm a human and I've lived my whole life so far on Earth. It's just..." Bill turned red and continued, "well...that handsome triangle thing you saw in your precious journal? That was me before my life on Earth as a human, began. I used to be a powerful interstellar demon. But that one you call the Author? He was my friend, but he turned against me once he learned my plans. He pursued me for many, many years, and finally shoved me through a portal, trapping me inside this disgusting flesh bag. He took away all my powers, but he couldn't take away the knowledge had gained. So the ignorance about humanity is kind of an old habit I have. Sorry if it irks you."  
Dipper sat in shocked silence, his mouth hanging in a perfect o, trying to process everything he'd heard from this...thing. One thing at a time, he told himself.

Number one: Bill Cipher used to be a triangular demon. Two: the Author and him were friends. Three: the Author turned against him and made him human. Four: Bill lost all his powers.  
"Oh...um..." Dipper said numbly.  
"Well," grumbled Cipher, "that's one part of the deal. I told you my history with the Author. Here's your journal back if you really want it," he pulled out the journal from underneath his car seat and handed it to Dipper, who took it dumbly. "I suppose you could leave now, but you don't know who the Author is. You'd have a heck of a time finding it out yourself, but if you decide to stay..."  
Dipper didn't hesitate this time. "I'll stay. Who's the Author?"  
Cipher laughed. "Don't count on it until after dinner. Oh, Pine Tree, you are such a tease."  
The Pines boy frowned at the nickname again, but more at the fact that he was going to have to suffer through a movie and dinner to get one tiny name.  
"Okay, fine," Dipper sighed. "What movie are we going to?"  
"I don't know yet," Cipher replied. "But hopefully a funny one, where lots of people die."  
Dipper gave him a horrified look, and Bill coughed.  
"Sorry. Just an old habit. What do you want to see?"  
"Um...well, I like monster movies," Dipper began hesitantly.  
"Great! Monster movie it is!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TQUST LM MLE  
> TQUST TBE MLES YMU JMVE


	5. Chapter 5

Please decode notes at the end for chapter update.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CQPBDVES TCGEL MRR SEQVEQ. STMQY ML BDCTUS ULTDJ RUQTBEQ LMTDPE.
> 
> KUPB QEAQET. BMNE TM UNHCTE "CSCN".


End file.
